Bold links are exteral to the site and will pull up a new tab/browser.
Links in the navigation bar on the left surrounded by [square brackets ...] with ellipsis (...) are folders and have more content in them.
Items that are the same page as what is displayed will not show a link.

about dd-wrt

dd-wrt is basically a linux OS specifically scaled down and configured for routing network stuff and made into firmware especially for a device.

this firmware is available for some AP's and routers. you can look up your router in the router database by searching for the make and model number or just the model number.

why dd-wrt

I have tried several off-the-shelf routers (Linksys WRT54GSv4, Linksys WRT100, and a Belkin N+) and they are flaky. the one of them which could take dd-wrt firmware (the WRT54G series) turned solid as a rock after flashing dd-wrt firmware on it (if dd-wrt is supported).

once they have dd-wrt they are rock solid. I have heard this over and over again from reviewers. flaky router,dropped connections, lockups-->good router.
but there are 2 security measures which must be taken at least for once you have dd-wrt up and running.

only reason to power down the router is in an emergency, such as a storm (power lines) or power outage (where the power turns on and off wildly and may take out equipment) so as to not damage the router.

having internet Denial Of Service?

If you are having internet Denial Of Service (DOS) issues, this can be cause either by the commercial router firmware or by the modem or a bad NIC. I have had issues with Qwest modems locking up once a month - they get hot, which could be the issue - just bad firmware or design. take modem issues up with your ISP. you can temporarily solve modem issues by power-cycling the modem. You don't have to power off the router usually in order to power-cycle a modem. There is one router, the WRT320N I think, which gets so hot (many reviewers) it melts the plastic and often stops working after heating up. I don't know if there are any other routers with such issues.

One thing which can cause a DOS is having the modem power plugged in one wall while the router power is plugged into another wall. this happened in my apartment. I don't know what causes it, and if someone could please explain this, I would like to know. my router is a Linksys WRT54GSv4, and the modem was a Motorola WiMax modem at the time and I use UTP cable. It is possible one or both sets of ethernet transceivers were not fully designed to be fully isolated as they should have been. or, a capacitor(s) somewhere has degraded over time into resistors - they do that sometimes.

flashing dd-wrt is not for beginners/faint of heart

It's not easy, and you can brick your router (becomes a lifeless brick/doorstop) if you do it wrong.

it requires a pageful of special commands to get IPV6, which is rapidly going to replace IPV4. I hope this gets into new firmware as a default or a checkbox.

it requires special commands to put in the security patches.

dd-wrt installation

30/30/30 reset - a sure-fire way to reset any router's NVRAM and clear the password, etc.

30/30/30 reset:
this is best accomplished with the router disconnected from its cables except the power cable.
In fact, having an extra power strip to do this with will make it a LOT easier, since you can simply turn the power strip switch on and off instead of plugging and unplugging which is may be difficult with one hand.

push reset button down with router powered on.
hold it for 30 seconds with router powered on.
STILL holding it, pull power cord for 30 seconds.
still holding it, plug router back in for 30 more seconds.
then let go of the button.

you will have held the button for a full 90 seconds without releasing it.
you will find these instructions in the peacock thread.

dd-wrt (and only dd-wrt firmware) routers will require a 30/30/30 reset before and after flashing the firmware, but WAIT 30 minutes for the router to boot (at least 10 minutes) after flashing.
read the directions for your router or dd-wrt instructions to learn how to perform a 30/30/30 reset.
Note that there are often 2 different types of resets one can perform on a router (sometimes only one), a short, soft reset and a hard reset.
this is sometimes called a hard reset, but stick with the 30/30/30 reset, because this is sure to wipe the NVRAM.
dd-wrt uses a 30/30/30 reset to get the nvram into the condition that it should be in before and after flashing the router.

reading the directions

after you have read the install wiki and related information, look up your router in the dd-wrt router database and install the firmware.
use the google chrome browser to do the flashing (it's the only thing I find chrome is good for right now).

oftentimes you will need to flash a "mini" firmware before you can flash "std" or "mega".
depends on the router what the requirements are.

browser to use

use Google Chrome browser to flash the firmware.
you can use IE or Firefox or Safari for everything else, because I find that Chrome often breaks as a browser - the only thing Chrome is good at is flashing firmware: it doesn't mess up there.

reading the directions

30/30/30 reset

flash with mini dd-wrt firmware or whatever they tell you to do FIRST, could be micro

let it do its thing and reboot itself for the next 5 minutes. It may look like it has rebooted, but don't be fooled.. be safe and give it longer.

create administrator login (you choose username and password)

30/30/30 reset

let it do its thing and reboot itself for the next 5 minutes. It may look like it has rebooted, but don't be fooled.. be safe and give it longer.

create administrator login (you choose username and password)

flash with

30/30/30 reset

let it do its thing and reboot itself for the next 5 minutes. It may look like it has rebooted, but don't be fooled.. be safe and give it longer.

1000Mbps LAN/WAN ports. dd-wrt is not available for this router yet, but when it is, I think you will be able to use mega. USB Storage Port w/uPnP AV Media Server. Full 3x3 MIMO antenna array. 8MB flash, so it's probably mega.